Let’s Remember a Guy!

[onejayhawk]

On the subject of great names--Rance Mulliniks



He was a decent prospect with the Royals but really blossomed in a platoon role with the Blue Jays.

J

[revo]

Today's Guy

Mickey Brantley
The father of Michael was also a pretty damned good hitter in his own right. He was a 2nd round pick out of Coastal Carolina in the 1983 draft, and zoomed up the minors before debuting with the Mariners in 1986 (in AAA, he hit 30 HRs with 25 SBs). He won a job out of spring training in 1987 but got hurt and missed all of May-- the month Michael was born. But he came back strong and hit .302/.344/.499 with 14 HRs and 13 SBs in 351 ABs, and even had a 3 HR, 7 RBI game in September.

In 1988, he got 614 PAs but put up similar counting stats as he did in 1987. In 1989, he hit the skids with a .157 BA and was demoted back to the minors on June 2, but unfortunately that was the last of Brantley in the majors as a player. He was traded to the Brewers in 1990, but was assigned to AAA and then bounced around in the minors and Japan, before hanging them up in 1993. He coached for 14 years, rising to become the hitting coach for the Blue Jays from 2005-2007.

That's today's guy, Mickey Brantley!

[revo]

Today's Guy

Eric Soderholm
He's another in a long line of players from the 1970s and 1980s who looked more like your high school chemistry teacher than a professional baseball player. Soderholm had a solid, if unspectacular, 9-year career from 1971 until 1980, with the Twins, White Sox, Rangers and Yankees.

He was the Twins starting third baseman from '71 until '75, then missed the entire 1976 campaign with a knee injury. Following that missed year, he signed as a free agent with the White Sox and had the best season of his career, hitting .280/.350/.500 with 25 HRs and 67 RBIs. He followed that up with a solid 20 HR, 67 RBI season. The White Sox traded him to the Rangers midway through the 1979 season, who then shipped him to the Yankees for the 1980 season, his last.

Today he owns the "Soder World Health & Wellness Center" a successful yoga/therapy/hippie facility in the Chicago area.

That's today's guy, Eric Soderholm!

[Sharky]

Man he was awesome in Narcos!

(Dead ringer for that guy)

[revo]

Today's Guy

Lyman Bostock
June 15, 1993 -- 42-year old Lyman Bostock rips a single off of Kansas City's Mark Gardner for his 3,000th career hit. He closes out the season with another 42 hits then retires, putting him 13th on the all-time hits leader list. He's then inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first try in 1999.

That was how it should have been, but Bostock never made it out of the 1978 season, as he was gunned down on September 23rd of that year by a jealous husband in a case of "wrong place at the wrong time."

Bostock was the first tragedy that hit home for me as a child (well, maybe 2nd after Elvis the year before), and I still remember exactly where I was when I heard the news (at my friend's house). I couldn't believe that a player so good could be wiped out so callously.

Bostock came up with the Twins in 1975, and all he did was hit. He hit .318 in his three seasons for the Twins, finishing 4th in the AL in batting in 1976 and 2nd in the AL in 1977. He became a free agent after the 1977 season (FA rules were much different then, in the 3rd year of its existence) and he signed a mega-deal with the Angels. He hit .150 in his first month, and Bostock approached Angels management about giving his April salary back because he hadn't deserved it(!). They declined, and he donated it to charity.

He hit .296 that final season, dying with a week to go in the year. Sad, sad story, and Bostock has been largely forgotten. He was a career .311 hitter, and many think with his hitting ability, he could have approached 3,000 hits (he had 624 when he died) had he lived.

That's today's guy, Lyman Bostock!




Here's a Twins-White Sox game from September 21, 1976, and Bostock is at-bat at the 6:47 mark. Funny enough, he's facing off against the White Sox's Larry Monroe, who only pitched one month in the majors, and who I met at a spring training game in 1991 when he was their VP of scouting.

[fuhrdog]

This thread is full of awesomeness.

[Sharky]

Wow. Not how I imagined “Lyman Bostock”.

[rhd]

The Angels have had more than their share of tragedy over the years. Not only Bostock, but Donnie Moore's suicide and Nick Adenhart's tragic car accident. Another tragic figure, Tony Conigliaro, also played for them briefly.

[revo]

The Angels have had more than their share of tragedy over the years. Not only Bostock, but Donnie Moore's suicide and Nick Adenhart's tragic car accident. Another tragic figure, Tony Conigliaro, also played for them briefly.

Mike Miley and Chico Ruiz were both killed in car accidents in the 1970s. Minnie Rojas, who was their closer in 1967, was paralyzed in a hit-and-run car accident that killed his wife and son during the 1968 season.

[hacko]

Cleveland request
Buddy Bell
Mike Hargrove
Andy thorntan
Carlos Baerga

[dslaw]

We may need a poll but I think this is the best thread ever. Maybe the pot roast story but this one is great.

I remember the news about Bostock. Didn't realize about the salary until much later. He was willing to give up a month of $450K while guys today will suck and make that much in a week without a peep about how much they suck.

[Hornsby]

Lyman Bostock was one of the true good guys of baseball, A remarkable man who was willing to give back. Here's a little section from an article written about him a few years ago...

1977 was the second year of free agency, and the seventh year in what would end up a 16-season playoff drought for Minnesota. Notoriously cheap owner Cal Griffith, whose team was 11th in attendance out of 14 AL squads, didn't offer Bostock a raise until 13 other teams made a bid for him. Tim Connaughton of SABR quotes Bostock here:

"If they had offered me that at the beginning of the season, I'd have signed. But by the end I just didn't want to stay there. I'd be defeating the purpose of what Curt Flood has done for the players. He wanted everybody to be able to enjoy the beauty and the freedom of the game." Bostock's disdain for the penny-pinching Griffith was clear. "If it wasn't for the owner, Minnesota would be a great place to play."

Mentioning Curt Flood, whose career was ruined by his fight to win free agency, showed class and gratitude. That was typical of Bostock. He signed with the Angels, and started off so slowly, he donated his first month's salary to local charities. After one game, Bostock noticed some kids waiting for a ride outside the stadium; he took them to a nearby restaurant and bought them ice cream until their father picked them up. In his last game, Bostock told White Sox third baseman Eric Solderholm the reason for his late-season surge; Bostock gave all credit to his wife, Youvene.

https://www.twinkietown.com/2016/10/1/13129158/lyman-bostocks-tragic-visit-to-chicago

[Sharky]

Cool story Horns. Thanks for sharing.

[revo]

Today's Guy - for Hacko (the guys you listed are too famous)

Cory Snyder
In my opinion, Cory Snyder was set up to fail. And it wasn't his fault. Blame Sports Illustrated's over zealousness!

Snyder was a college star for Brigham Young, and was added to the first Olympic baseball team in 1984. He was then taken 4th overall by the Indians in the June 1984 draft, predictably pummeled minor league pitchers, and became a part of the illustrious rookie class of 1986 (that also included Jose Canseco, Wally Joyner, Ruben Sierra, Barry Bonds, Danny Tartabull, Will Clark, etc.) when the Indians promoted him on June 13th of that year.

His power was prodigious, and he smacked 24 HRs in 103 games in 1986, but the warts were starting to become evident -- he whiffed 123 times in 416 ABs, and walked just 13 times, and finished with just a .299 OBP. But since things like BB%, OBP and BB/K% were of minimal concern in the non-sabermetric mid-1980s, all anyone noticed were his home runs.

And then destiny struck -- for their 1987 baseball preview issue, Sports Illustrated, as they are wont to do to sell mags, declared the long-suffering Indians as the World Series favorites after a surprising 84-78 season, and put Snyder along with Joe Carter on the cover. Snyder did his part, belting 33 longballs and drove in 82 (although the warts grew bigger with a .273 OBP and 89 OPS+), but the Indians slumped and finished last.

Snyder had a good 1988, but in 1989 it finally all went south, and he slumped badly with a .215/.251/.360 line. The mediocrity continued into 1990, and the Indians had had enough and traded him to the White Sox after the season, who quickly shipped him to the Blue Jays after he hit .188 through 50 games. He then bounced to the Giants and Dodgers, and had a couple of decent if unspectacular seasons before wrapping up his career in 1994.

He's currently a manager in the Taiwan league, and had managed in the Mexican league as well.

That's today's guy, Cory Snyder!

[hacko]

Thanks Revo _ I loved Corey Snyder - I have had several friends who named there sons after Him - that was how high his Flame was in Ohio over those few years.

I know Carlos was hot for several years _ I believe one of the greatest 3 year runs for any Second baseman but then it was like taking a walk off a cliff for him. He went from no one being able to get him out to not being able to foul a pitch off . it was an amazing drop. At least how I remember it.

Go back into the 60"s and get Leon "Granddaddy" Wags or Chico Salmon!!!!!

By the way - LIke someone said Great thread!!!!! This is what the Baseball threads are for. All past forgotten players that were on someone's Fantasy team - for good - bad - or Just plain Evil Bad.... I think I traded for Corey at least once and I am sure he was a bitter disappoint for my team.